When Lauren called her midday, Camila knew that it probably had something to do with Natalia because it was very rare for Lauren to abandon her time with any of her clients to make impromptu calls. Natalia had been recovering from a fever that struck her days ago, so Camila had kind of expected the call.
It did still surprise her a little though considering Ashley's rule of trying to keep the child and the celebrity separated in the public eye but Lauren explained that everyone else were working and the school were adamant that Natalia needed to visit a doctor. So despite Ashley's apprehension, she had to agree to let the singer pick up her child.
Camila took extra precautions to hide her appearance as best she could. Opting to wear a hoodie almost twice her size and refraining from wearing any make-up at all. She wanted to be as unrecognisable as possible.
She arrived at Natalia school with the little girl already waiting for her at the front office, one of her hands settled against her head while the other clung to her bag. Camila caught visible see how in distress she was and didn't hesitate to rush over to her in an instant.
"Hey you," She tucked the little girl's loose hair behind her ear. "What's going on, chicken?"
Camila expected Natalia to offer her some kind of explanation but when the girl looked to her, all she saw was tear-rimmed eyes and when Natalia opened her mouth to speak, all she released was a small, pained groan. Something about it tore at Camila's heart and she had to fight with everything in her to step back from her girlfriend's daughter to sign the girl out.
Camila was thankful for the receptionist's professionalism and promised the woman a signed copy of her latest album for herself or a family member she wished to give it to. It was a quick exchange Camila was grateful for because it meant she could get Natalia to a hospital quicker. It was clear to anyone that the girl needed medical assistance.
"Hey, come here," She lifted Natalia up and settled her on her hip as they made their way out of the school. "When did this start?"
But again, the only thing the girl could verbalise was a groan and because it was the second time...it worried the hell out of Camila.
She dug into her back pocket, producing her phone and dialling Lauren because the state of the little girl definitely warranted a cause for concern.
"Hey," The green-eyed woman answered. "Have you got her?"
"I do, I'm taking her to the hospital, Laur, she's really not looking great." Camila balanced the phone on her shoulder as she opened her car door. She hadn't wanted to wait for a car service to meet her, opting to drive instead in her rush to get to the school. "You might want to meet me there."
"You're kind of scaring me," Lauren's voice shook as she spoke.
"I'm not trying to, but I'm not gonna start lying to you now." Camila placed the girl in the car and made she was all buckled up before rushing to the driver's side and switching the call over to the car's Bluetooth. "She's not saying much but I think she's got one hell of a headache."
"A headache?" This confused the older woman. "She had a fever a few days ago, we didn't have a headache."
"She's not showing any other indications of a fever either," Camila kept her eyes rooted to the road ahead of her but every now and then spared a glance at her rear-view mirror to check on the little girl. Her eyes remained closed and she kept her head tilted down, shielding herself from any invading light. "Look, I'll see you at the hospital, okay? I'm about five minutes out."
"Yeah, I'll see you soon," Lauren's tone was rushed. "Mama loves you, baby girl," Camila knew the sentiment wasn't directed at her. "I'll call Ash, she'll meet us there too."
